PENSIONS AMENDMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 135, 4 December 1929, Page 11

PENSIONS AMENDMENTS

NOT TO BE ACCEPTED

Unlted Press Association—By Electric TeleErapb—Copyright. LONDON, 2nd December. In the House of Lords twenty amendments were tabled during the Committee stage of the Widows, Orphans, Old Age, and Contributory Pensions Bill. The Earl of Onslow moved to limit the widows' pension to necessitous cases. -Lord Buekmastor, supporting the amendment, said there was no reason why CV ery woman should becomo a charge upon the State because widowed. Even the amendment did not go far to stay the liood of extravagance under which the country would seen be submerged, accompanied by a multiplication of Government Departments which was to be feared more than the multiplication of widows beveral Liberals supported the Government, but the amendment was ciri'ied by 37 votes to 16.

. A consequential amendment describ- "!| Necessitous widows as not receiving fc-oO per annum altogether was carried without division. Another sub-section was deleted by 33 votes to 9. Th e £>ill then was passed through Coinimt-

The Government does not intend to accept the amendment, a similar one having been defeated twics already in the House of Commons. The Governmen.t 1 is that the amendment would disqualify a few widows but add considerably to the administrative expenses. ANOTHER SHAVE. In the House of Commons there was much excitement during the Committee stage of the Unemployed Insurance Bill when the closure, moved by Miss Bondfield (Minister of Labour) was carried by only 209 votes to 19(3. Nine of the Left Wing of 'the Labour Party voted against the Government The Liberals did not vote, though Mr Baldwin and other Conservatives tried to persuade them to do so. The House adjourned.